Today's piece is another exploration of some of the sounds in 31EDO that don't exist in 12EDO. In particular, the 31EDO minor third is eight steps wide, meaning it can be split perfectly in half, resulting in a fascinating "neutral second" that exists between the major and minor seconds.
I find this sound fascinating when applied to minor chords. I find that the standard 9th on a minor chord is a deeply tragic sound, while the minor 9th is very tense with its strong phrygian mode implication. Both of these options can sometimes be difficult to work with since they both cause a minor second dissonance against one of the notes of the triad. The neutral second, however, relieves much of this tension since there are no longer any minor second dissonances. It still carries the longing wistfulness of the major 9th, but with mellower sadness, rather than pained heartbreak, giving it a truly unique emotive effect.
This study also looks at the contrast between minor and subminor chords. The subminor third is quite neat in that, at one step narrower, it reintroduces the 12EDO concept of the minor third being uneven; unable to be split in half like the standard minor third.
Towards the end, I also play around with a neutral seventh chord, dropping its root and fifth to produce a major seventh chord, as a mirror to a similar effect I did with minor and subminor chords earlier.
The piece ends on major harmony, as a reprieve from the endless stream of minor chords that precede it. Since major and minor chords are still inversion of each other in 31EDO, there is a minor third between the 3rd and 5th, meaning it can also be split into two neutral seconds. This can be seen in the F half-sharp in the second violin, which produces a wonderful sound (especially when combined with the cello's low C) since this tone is also how 31EDO realizes the 11th harmonic. It's a touch too tense to end on though, so I opted for this part to end on the major 9th instead, as the other way to reflect this piece's "add9" in a major chord.
As always, these pieces are welcome for anyone and everyone to play! All I ask is that you share it with me, because I'd love to hear it done by live players!
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